Qazi Wajid, one of Pakistan’s veteran television actors and radio entertainers, has died in the southern port city of Karachi. He was 87. Wajid was hospitalised Saturday night for chest pain and died on Sunday morning.

Born in 1930 in the eastern city of Lahore, he started his carrier as radio drama artist and remained attached to the “sound box” until television was introduced in Pakistan in 1964.

Wajid won a presidential medal for his achievement in the field of radio and television dramas in 1988. In television dramas, Wajid performed a wide variety of characters, both comic and serious. His colleagues referred to him as the “academy.”

Wajid had a long and illustrious career which spanned over a period of five decades. The actor begun his career with television plays written by Khwaja Moinuddin.

Popular television actor Javed Sheikh told The Express Tribune about the actor, “Qazi Wajid was a great personality, a dedicated actor and a lovable human being. I can’t express how sophisticated a personality he had, and I don’t think someone like him is going to be born in this country again.”

Pakistani actor Mahira Khan tweeted, “Sad sad day for Pakistan.. we say goodbye to a great great artist and a fearless activist. They shall live on through their work, always. #QaziWajid #AsmaJahangir.”

Veena Malik also expressed her sorrow at the death of the beloved personality on Twitter. She wrote, “A very Sad Day for Pakistan. #QaziWajid and #AsmaJahangir is no more with us. May Allah rest their souls in peace. Ameen…. Sad Sunday.”